The present invention relates to a generator set and more particularly but not exclusively to such a generator set involving a novel design of a prime mover engine in the form of a multicylinder reciprocating piston engine having elements moving linearly to and fro in guides, the stationary and moving parts of a linear generator being arranged adjacent to at least one guide.
Such a generator set has been described in the German unexamined specification No. 3,341,105 in connection with a motor vehicle. This vehicle had a drive engine with a standard structure, which primarily was designed as a source of driving power for the vehicle; that is to say it was a question of a gasoline or diesel engine with pistons moving in cylinders and each connected via a connecting rod with a crank shaft which was joined by a manual or automatic transmission with a power train for supply of the power to the wheels of the vehicle. In the case of this vehicle engine there are one or more linear generators as an alternative to a conventional dynamo for production of electricity for electrically powered equipment on the vehicle. The linear generator or generators were to be arranged adjacent to one or more gas changeover valves, that is to say the permanent magnets as the moving parts of the linear generators were placed on the valve stems and the stators were placed on the cooperating valve stem guides.
However, the drive engine of a motor vehicle is subject to considerable variations in speed of rotation and of the load, something that usually is a disadvantage as regards the production of electricity and is only able to be coped with by having an involved automatic control system. Furthermore the electricity producing device associated with this vehicle drive engine is only used for charging the vehicle battery, the dynamo which is otherwise as a rule driven via v belts from the crank shaft is replaced by the linear generator or generators. For such an application it may be quite feasible for the engine to serve both for the production of electricity and for mechanically driving the vehicle.
There are however applications in which IC engines are exclusively used for driving the generator of a generator set, as for instance in emergency power supplies. In such a case a conventional IC engine is as a rule connected via an elastic coupling and a suitable transmission with a conventional generator. For such applications stirling engines have also been used, as for instance in submarines or other ships for producing the electricity needed for operation of appliances on board and for operation of the electric motor or motors turning the propellers. In the case of such plant it is however generally the case that the transmission and automatic control systems for operation of the generator from the crank shaft are very involved and expensive.